please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The outside seating is the main reason to visit this place. Ate here yesterday with a friend. Food was okay, nothing more, but overpriced. Sandwiches off the menu during the Olympics. Staff were pleasant enough and there is a reasonable selection of ales. Pint I had from Windermere was fine. There are worse places to have a pint on a sunny day.
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Great view of the river but the nearby Anchor Bankside is nicer inside. Wasn't my round when I was there recently so can't comment about the staff...
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Have often walked past this pub and always thought it looked great, lovely location by the Thames. Called in tonight for the first time for a drink with my family. One of my party wanted a coffee but was told rather abruptly that they had run out yesterday - no excuse for that, as they also serve food. We also asked for a packet of crisps - they'd run out of those too! Drinks rather pricey and staff not welcoming so shall not be going back. What a shame.
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I've been drinking here on and off for about 18 years and to be honest it hasn't changed much. The staff have always been miserable and the beer has always been expensive.
I went last Thursday and it was exactly the same. I've always just used it as a convenient meeting pub as it's relatively easy to find from London Bridge and then moved on somewhere better.
I think they rely on the 5-6pm quick pint after work, sunny evenings when people want to sit by the river and the tourist trails/river pub crawls therefore they never try to keep customers happy as there isn't the repeat business to be had.
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Worst Pub I've been to in my life. Agree with the person below the fat Irish manager is rude and racist. I would have had a better night drinking my own urine in a skip.
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The only positive thing about this pub is the view to the river, but the prices and the service is terrible. The staff are so rude!!! Try to avoid it!!!
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RUDEST STAFF EVER...During pub closing time, one of the staff slammed the glass door in my friends face, leaving him in the garden without his jacket... my mate waited 40 minutes for an overpriced chicken burger whilst everyone else ate their meals and the waitress got in a mood when I asked for some mayonnaise with my chips which took 15 mins to arrive...
Went in November, wont be going there again. Shame as the location along with riverside is stunning.
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popped in for some beers...staff were very pleasant, so either they're new or they've picked their socks up, viewing other comments below...another Nicholsons pub, but the selection of beers was good. Not too pricey considering the location. Being right on the Thames, if you can get the seating, it's worth sitting and looking at the passing traffic...however, being on the South Bank, you don't get much sun...would definitely visit again..
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It�s such a pity that the staff of this lovely pub located on the bank of the Thames is so rude and unpleasant!
A friend of mine and I called in to have lunch after seeing a performance at The Globe, so it was after 3 p.m. We managed to find a table on the terrace and were going to enjoy a pleasant lunch enjoying the view of the riverside. I went to the bar since at that time waiters didn�t take orders. After waiting a quarter of an hour in the line I was queue-jumped by a guy just before my turn. The barman called Darren served him the beer, but I didn�t say a word avoiding confrontations. Then I started ordering.
To begin with, I asked the bartender to recommend me an English beer, but he served me an Italian one, since �as he explained- he hadn�t heard the part of �English� and the Italian was his recommendation. He didn�t want to serve me another pint since the Italian one was already put in the glasses. When I was going to ask for the meal he asked the number of the table, which I didn�t know and I told him I was going to check this. He replayed that he wasn�t going to wait for me because of the queue. I asked whether he could take my order when I�m back without making me wait all the line again, but he said no. I asked for a complaints book, and he answered that I had to wait till he attend all the people in the line. That Darren guy was unhelpful, rude and unpleasant all the time.
I went back to the table and find its number, it was put in a small dot on the corener of the table. It seemed to be a normal practice in English pubs, but we weren�t avare about this. Eventually my friend and I decided not to drink the Italian beer we paid for and to have lunch in another pub enjoying local food and beverages.
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Fine location but actually not a particularly fine pub. Beer can be dicey, service is inconsistent.... it could do with upping its game but probably doesn't need to as it has a captive audience by the Thames.
Terenced sorrowfully shakes his head and backs away.
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Last week I got screamed at by a member of staff and also the Duty Manager for daring to complain that a waitress had thrown my (full) glass of wine away. Without being too dramatic, I have never experienced such awful service. There are really no words. Such a shame as it's a lovely pub aesthetically with beautiful surroundings. Oh, and the food was dire also. AVOID!
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Nice Pub,good selection of beers,but been in twice recently and both times beer was far too warm.Could it be the heat from all those lights?
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London Pride was good apart from the short measures, Pay for a pint expect a pint. No chance to experience the food too crowded for a Friday night. The staff were pleasant enough considering they had to cope with obnoxious and rude city workers. Pity the lights went out at about 10 especially as I was on the loo at the time.
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Bland pub but a decent range of ale, staff where very friendly and up for a laugh. Decent pint of TT Landlord will be back in the summer to sit on the deck by the river.
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We came in for Christmas drinks, especially for mulled wine. The mulled wine was the worst I've ever tasted, so bad I couldn't drink it. I went to the bar to say it was undrinkable but they wouldn't provide me with a swap, so I had to buy a second drink two minutes after spending �3.45 on an undrinkable drink. It turns out they make it with about 50% orange juice.
Clientele OK, but no real atmosphere here. Food passable.
It's on the Thames with outside seating, that's its only plus really.
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Waiting times
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average pub, long wait times at the bar, but can excuse that.
what i can't excuse is a pub that doesn't look after its beer.
ordered a london pride which was cloudy and full of bits, a bit like breadcrumbs, to their credit they poured another one...same result.
nevermind, i tried an Ubu (guest ale from warwickshire) sadly they'd left that to go off too.
stick to the lagers here, they can't manage real ale...
anonymous - 20 Oct 2010 10:19 |
Good beer, great location, terrible food and even worse service. First pint served by sarcastic manager behind the bar, second pint by an even more miserable barman, and then we made the mistake of sitting down in the dining area to eat and suffered even worse service from bored, inefficient waiting staff serving very poor quality pub food. The worse thing is that the Brewery (Nicholsons) and the Management don't care as the location will always draw in a new group of punters every day. I won't make the same mistake as there are so many great pubs in the area.
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i was at the borough market on saturday and visited afterwards ,I have to say i really enjoyed the ale i had a pint of cropton endeavour and what a nice beer it was part of the autumn range the knowledgeable chap behind the bar toldme.
we ordered a couple of sandwichs which where great all in all very happy with my visit.
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we had leaving drinks and dinner for a work mate last week, the service wasn't great and the staff don't seem to know how to mix drinks properly. Such a shame as the venue itself is great, right alongside the river.
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Twice I ordered drinks at the bar. The concept of good customer service was clearly as complex and alien to the first barmaid as the 63 moons of Jupiter: she was terse, unfriendly, disinterested and seemed slightly taken aback by all these strangers asking her for drinks on a scorching Sunday afternoon. The second barmaid was only slightly better in that she did me the favour of actually looking at me when serving me, albeit for a couple of seconds. Lucky old me!
They did tell us that the food would be a half hour wait, which was good. However, while the gammon and eggs was mediocre, the fish and chips were atrocious. The fish batter was caked in oil; you only had to press it slightly with your fork to see the oil come oozing out; and the fish inside was hard and rubbery. I pointed this out to the "deputy manager" but, rather than take this on board so as to put it right, he proceeded to tell me how he'd taken the dish back to the kitchen before it was served to us because he'd seen something wrong with it. The fact that the dish had still managed to reach our table in this sorry state did not seem to register with him. He seemed more concerned about telling us what a great job he was doing. I've had better service in post-communist Russia. Avoid this place like the plague.
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Called in here for Sunday lunch today and had appalling service. Staff were rude and unhelpful and when I spoke to the manager, he was just as bad. Very bad staff attitude. Food on other tables looked poor, so was more than happy to walk elsewhere to find something to eat - plenty in the area.
I do not recommend this pub. Suggest you walk 5 minutes and find somewhere else :)
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Great place to sit outside, if you can get a seat!
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Two bags stolen from friends in one week. Won't ever be going here again.
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Always busy due to it being next to Borough Market but if you can get a seat upstairs it's fine for a sit down after spending time there. We went downstairs once though and it was quite dark and smelt very odd and damp.
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Searching for a quick bite to eat late on a Sunday evening around Borough Market is not easy but this establishment loudly proclaimed on the advertisements and menus outside that food was served until 10pm. When eventually served at around 9.40pm I was curtly told that the kitchen closed at 9.30pm on a Sunday. The staff here have no concept of 'industry' or 'service'.
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Visited this riverside pub for an early pint (before 12 noon) last week-end. And was positively surprised by the range of real ales available. Guess 4 or 5 rare seasonal ales on tap, I had a pint of perfect "Cropton Dangleberry Ale"; fresh,fruity and hoppy bitter.
Unfortunately we had to move on, but I will be back soon if in the area.
It was also too early for lunch, so we didn't order any food.
I got the impression that this pub chain are focusing on quality ales from smaller and less known breweries, which is a good thing.
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This Nicholson�s pub is a bit of a tourist trap, but it to be expected due to the fantastic river location and great views including the full sized replica of the Golden Hind outside the entrance.
The staff were not the friendliest, but I was served quickly even though the bar was busy. I spotted four ales which included Pride and a festive brew from Brains. There was also a wide selection of standard and premium draught products and food is served in the large restaurant area at the rear of the pub.
I spotted one plasma screen which was showing muted Sky Sports as some background music was playing very loudly which may have been in aid of the function in the downstairs bar.
I wouldn�t make a special trip to drink here, but I would pop in again if passing.
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Often crowded and hard to get served but the location makes up for it.
A frequent haunt in summer, though less-frequent in the winter is still good.
Good burger tent sometimes too, outside.
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The Nicholson chain on the whole is pretty good however this is one to give a miss. Real ale quality poor. Tourists galore and two customers/mongs who managed to eclipse the rudeness of the bar staff by loudly describing their (lack of) love life and shouting out qoutes from films such as 'release the Kraken'.
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Called in yesterday afternoon whilst on a crawl along the river and we stayed for a few. There were plenty of staff and although none of them would have graduated from charm school they were pretty efficient. The pub got ridiculously busy around 6pm which I suppose is no surprise for a Friday evening when the sun is out. Nice if you can get a spot on the balcony but a bit difficult getting back and forth from the bar with a handful of drinks. Beer was OK and I had a few decent pints of Wainwrights.
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The beer I chose was the Marston's Pedigree - awful.. Dirty glass too. Ordered food - waited over 40 minutes for it for which I was not forewarned. Dirty cutlery too! Staff were not bothered by all of this and carried on mucking about behind the bar. Meal came - chips cold and an extra topping on my burger which I hadnt ordered. Lots of tourists of course, but I would imagine no repeat customers.. Not to be repeated. Disappointing especially when they boast good beer and 'quality' food and 'excellent' customer service...
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Totally totally beautiful pint of Brewdog "Trashy Blonde",amazing views,friendly quick service,and under �3 a pint, 8/10
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They DO have real ale and guest ales, too, here. The staff were polite. It's in a 1970s bland building, however the interior is clean and the views from both the decking and indoors are of St Pauls and The Golden Hinde so you cannot fault that.
Apart from the fact that there are tourists in here (and I hope that those of you who hate that fact never stoop to visit a bar in a city centre when you are on holiday... and yes, the authentic ones you think are 'real' are probably like this place in their cities!!) this is a perfectly normal pub. I agree with the review that said to calm down and smile!!
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The interior is ok (if fake) and there are nice views of the river but this is really a pub for tourists and to be avoided by the discerning local drinker
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Very busy Friday night - despite this service was quick - drank Heineken lager which was OK (7 pints no hangover) �3.30 a pint. Gents toilets not good - smelly, over-flowing urinal, and too small for a busy pub.
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Pride, Deuchards, Landlord and from the autumn range was Okells Autumn Dawn. Great location by the river, didn't take me too long to get served at about 8pm on a Thursday.
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I've been here a number of times over the years, usually as a part of a crawl of some sort, and I have to say I have always enjoyed the experience - in spite of being an afficionado of good real ale, which some of the reviewers here seem to think might be absent from this pub. Sit outside, next to the Golden Hinde, and ignore the weather. Watch the river go by. Wonder why someone was allowed to put a huge office building between the ship and the cathedral, killing half the view. Nothing wrong with the pub that I've noticed, except that it is popular. Calm down. Order two pints. Smile.
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Its not old, but it is by the Thames. Really quite plastic and synthetic. Not well laid-out either - if its crowded its hard to get around, little doors and steps and stuff.
I can't remember the beer.
Not somewhere that attracts me back
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Hot day desperate for cold drink... Loooooonnnngggg wait but got a cold Magners... drank it... had another. Not really much to report, the pub smelled a bit funky, waiting was dueto inefficient service. The ale the better half had was forgetable.
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Great Location. Terrible Beer, rude and incompetent staff. Bring a shaving kit as you'll grow a beard waiting to get served. Had to try nearly all beers on tap as they kept "running out" probably as the bar staff found the effort of serving customers and changing barrels too much of an effort. when challenged resorted to PC script of "we do not need to tolerate being spoken to like that" - well I don't need to wait 30 minutes for a crap pint of beer so won't be bothering them with my "custom" again.
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Me and m'colleagues visited this dump on Friday for the France-Italy match. the barman had pinned a note up saying they were showing the cricket, when we asked if we could watch the football they said "No" very brusquely, and when we asked why the chap said "I don't care!". OK, their pub, their rules, trade was disappearing out the door as people realised, then when a mate asked for a top-up of his pint, served well below the line, the barmaid said "Have you drunk some?". Nice, get accused of theft just for asking to get what you're are paying for! Legendarily rude bar staff in a pub that has very few regulars and relies on tourists who they know won't return so they treat them like dog turds. the place is heaving with bar flies too, there's a chorus of slapping as people swat at them. A dirty, obnoxious boozer that needs a reality check.
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I Would like to post a reply to this comment. I used to work at the old Thameside and i personally was one of the bar men involved with serving these very rude two customers. Firstly the reason they were told they couldnt have a stamp on their ale trail map was because they didnt buy an ale. That is the sole purpose of the trail: an ALE TRAIL map and an ALE TRAIL T-SHIRT. not a coke and lager trail!! they were not happy with my reply and started shouting and demanding a t-shirt to which i replyed i believe we have sold out. The Manager then came over and explained the same thing that i had. The two friendly gentlemen then decided it would be a good idea to wave the map in the face of the manager. they lent over the bar almost rubbing the leaflet to the managers face. The manager then removed the leaflet and continued to serve the customers he was already serving. These gentlemen then started shouting demanding their t-shirts. Finally in a failed attempt to satisfy them they were given two t-shirts from the display leaving the display looking sad and empty.
so all in all, thank you for ruining my day. please call again.
Wow! What a terrible end to an otherwise great evening. Great location for a pub without a doubt, but the staff's obnoxiously rude behavior taints this pub beyond repair. I highly recommend against ever going, ESPECIALLY if you're on the official Nicholson's pub crawl and looking to get a shirt. The manager at first didn't want to honor the terms of the pub crawl and then lied about not having shirts. In the end, the manager tore the map out of my hand and tossed it in the garbage and gruffly told someone to get shirts for us. My friend and I were polite from the start and we did nothing whatsoever to earn such treatment. Obviously, the manager has no interest in the pub crawl, despite clearly displayed signs saying that they welcome crawlers. Shame on you!
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Just a quick follow-up to my post of 12 April in order to give management of the pub and Nicholson's proper respect for promptly responding to a formal complaint that I made through Nicholson's. The individuals with whom I spoke were sincere in offering apology for the poor service and offered to make it up to me and my mate. That shows real class. Thanks.
befox - 10 May 2008 11:11 |
Worse than the Stick Pig I was ruded to all of the time and they threw a one at me for sure! No way hose!
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Run-of-the-mill Nicholsons pub, with the usual "how do they manage to turn decent beer into this insipid brown beverage" offering. When asked to have my nearly 0.85 of a full glass topped up, the bar person gave me one of those "have you just wandered in from 'planet Full Pint'" looks. Did eventually get something resembling a proper measure of Titanic Brewery Capt. Smiths, but won't be hurrying back.
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THIS IS HONESTLY THE GREATEST PUB I HAVE EVER BEEN TO. SUPERB BEER/SERVICE/LOCATION!
GLORIOUS ATMOSPHERE WITH A GREAT CULTURE OF PEOPLE WANTING TO HAVE A GOOD TIME.
THERE ARE NO SUPERLATIVES TO EXPLAIN HOW GOOD THIS PUB IS, ONLY BEEN TWICE, WILL BE A REGULAR FROM NOW ON!
GREGORIO
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Wow! What a terrible end to an otherwise great evening. Great location for a pub without a doubt, but the staff's obnoxiously rude behavior taints this pub beyond repair. I highly recommend against ever going, ESPECIALLY if you're on the official Nicholson's pub crawl and looking to get a shirt. The manager at first didn't want to honor the terms of the pub crawl and then lied about not having shirts. In the end, the manager tore the map out of my hand and tossed it in the garbage and gruffly told someone to get shirts for us. My friend and I were polite from the start and we did nothing whatsoever to earn such treatment. Obviously, the manager has no interest in the pub crawl, despite clearly displayed signs saying that they welcome crawlers. Shame on you!
befox - 12 Apr 2008 13:19 |
A place for tourists to eat "Traditional English food" lucky them.
Beer's ok, location good but it was pouring with rain so the pub might aswell have been in a back street in Basingstoke. Can't blame the pub for this though.
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The Fat Irish manager was very rude. He is also under the impression that the pub is FAMOUS for its fish and chips, where in Ireland? because not in London. Rude staff!
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I must admit to being a little surprised by the bad reviews this pub has received. I paid a visit here to the Old Thameside Inn last Thursday evening (21st Feb) and left satisfied enough. Sure, I�ve set foot in dozens of better establishments, but here is okay for a couple of pints. It a Nicholson�s affair, so expect wood and lots of it. The front bar is tidy enough and this leads to a dining section to the rear. There is also a down stairs area though this often hired out I believe. Unsurprisingly for the chain, a decent array of well conditioned ales was on offer and my Landlord hit the spot. Prices seemed average for the area. As its name suggest, this �Inn� is indeed, by the Thames and there is really no disputing that the view across the river is quite pleasant. You get a good view of the �Gherkin� building! There is also a benches area with those giant umbrellas to satisfy the smoking mob. I won�t be rushing back, certainly, but all the same, you�d rather drink here then in an All Bar One, no?
HTM69 - 27 Feb 2008 19:27 |
Poor staff, poor beer, including the larger (how???) shame for such a good location.
mrse1 - 25 Jan 2008 16:02 |
Quite easily the rudest, poorest effort of a pub in the whole of the UK. I would rather enjoy a drink with crackheads in Kings Cross than return. Service is pathetic. The nitro-kegs are stale and food worse than a bag of stale rats
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Wow - have been here before, and service was never good, but was in here this evening (a quiet Wednesday), but when the bell rang at ten to eleven we were told that serving had finished. They excused themselves by saying that the clock behind the bar had already past eleven 'o' clock, and therefore they should stop serving - to which I pointed out their folly, and even offered the talking clock (endlessly repeating 11:52) to them despite their hand-waving.
I asked to get contact details for the landlord (possibly a 'Sarah') to ask in the morning why the clock was set incorrectly, and if their normal policy was to stop serving at or before 11, but was refused any information. I was then very rudely spoken to by a member of the kitchen staff, who said it was up to them when they damn well served us, and I had no right to complain about this (which perhaps suggests that the clock had been adjusted by staff in order to bunk off early).
Absolutely furious, I headed back to London Bridge, walking past Southwark Cathedral as the bells struck eleven. Giving a non-zero score only because the beer wasn't quite as badly kept as other places (but wasn't great), and the food was reasonable (but slow).
Ruined a good evening, would not choose to repeat.
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I was there today for the first time. There were about 60 of us dressed as pirates and the staff put up with that quite decently, despite piratical shouts and songs.
But I have to say that the beer was very over-priced (but you are next to arch tourist trap the Golden Hinde ship) and extremely badly kept. Even the lager was terrible. How can you get mass-produced lager wrong?
I also experienced their inability to work out serving order and the odd smell of stale beer.
They knew we were coming, it was a sunny Saturday afternoon and they only had three staff... one of which wasn't serving anyone for no discernable reason.
It's a shame. It could be quite nice if they made an effort to keep their beer properly, cleaned the place up a bit and hired some more staff. Disappointing.
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I must have met the same barman as JohnnyDC. This is the only pub in the entire world I have ever been refused service! Apparently I too had a look that was unacceptable. I grant you I was a bit peeved at having been overlooked while later arrivals at the bar were served, but the disgruntled look on my face was hardly a barring offence!
I quite liked the place up until that point, and would re-visit if someone can post the staff rota in advance.
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I had an interesting experience last weekend in this unfunny joke of a bar next to the Thames. I ordered 4 drinks from a grumpy looking barman who had just finished arguing with one of his colleagues and another customer.
He got the order wrong, and poured an extra one away. He then overcharged me for the round. I said no problem. He then started hurling comments like "you'll get your money, just wait!". I looked around at the other confused customers and asked what he was going on about. Apparently, I had "raised my eyebrows to him" and he had "read my face". He gave me the money as if it was a excrement filled nappy and proceeded to behave in the same manner to the next poor people after a drink.
A barman who apparently should be an inspector with the police, a would-be human lie-detector with an uncanny ability to judge someone by the expression on their face. A rare skill nowadays that must surely be preserved and encouraged.
A rather ordinary experience that won't be repeated by me ever going there again.
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This is a nice pub for an afternoon drink, but I really would avoid it during peak times as overcrowding ruins its otherwise nice riverside atmosphere. The staff seem to get understandably more stressed out and ruder as the day goes on, so it might not be the best place to go on a friday night either. Recommended for a one-off only.
anonymous - 24 Apr 2007 12:59 |
A great summer pub. Come here once or more a week for lunch. Good food especially fish and chips and a great venue when the sun is out. Ideal summer pub.
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What a nice pub. Went there at the weekend had superb steak and nice bottle of wine between us. Lively, pleasant staff and landlord went around discreetly to see that everything was up to stratch with the food and drink, will definatley come back.
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Seems like a nice pub, with good inside/outside possibilities...
Nice big bar and range on tap
Future visits welcome
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Wins on its location. Decent enough beer and great to sit outside but if you had to sit in here on a rainy Wednesday it might not work so well.
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Went the other week for a leaving do, what a horrible, dirty, expensive, souless place. Everthing bad about a pub. Rude staff at closing time and the toilets looked like they have not been cleaned in months. I must agree the worst pub in Borough, maybe London.
AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
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I wouldn't go so far as to say this is the worst pub I've been in or anything like it, but the attitude of the staff at closing time is pretty unacceptale to my way of thinking. As soon as the 11 o'clock bell rings they are virtually out there with a crowbar to get you out of your seat and on your way. A smile and a bit of friendly banter would actually help the evacuation process but no, full on confrontation is what they are after so many people just drink slowly and dig in their heels. A lesson in there somewhere.
On the plus side, the drink was reasonably cheap and the choice of beers quite extensive, the Landlord that I tried being eminently acceptable.
For Christ's sake just train up your bar staff!!
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THE WORST PUB EXPERIENCE I'VE HAD IN THE LAST 5 YEARS!!!
I have never known staff more RUDE than those at Old Thameside. Having shelled out nearly FIFTEEN POUNDS ON 4 PINTS of badly-kept, GRUDGINGLY-served beer at 10.45, we were almost physically shown to the door and told to leave at five past eleven. When we tried to protest we were met by a BARRAGE OF ABUSE and SNIDE COMMENTS from 4 barmaids simultaneously. As if that were not enough, we noticed shortly before being kicked out that there were what looked like BITS OF CONDOM on the floor. Beyond belief. A complete surprise for what looked like such a quaint riverside pub from the outside.
anonymous - 12 Jan 2007 19:09 |
Registered for this site just so I could warn people against this place! OK the riverside location has its perks in summer but I can see no other advantages to a place with such unwelcoming and terse bar staff, who aren't any where large enough in number to deal with the hordes. The Greene King IPA was just about drinkable, which was just as well as the other 4 cask ale pumps were all off / unused.
Overall the kind of place you'd expect to find on a modern housing estate somewhere in a dodgy part of the home counties rather than on the Thames in the middle of London.
anonymous - 13 Nov 2006 14:14 |
Friday night, forget it if you are over 30.
Good views of river and not too many pubs have a reconstruction of the Golden Hinde for scenery. Wouldn't recommend it to friends.
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Great during the summer months, especially when they've got a barbeque on. Inside is a bit dull. Saw a mouse walking around on the shelf behind the bar last time I was in. Bar staff didn't seem bothered.
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The glory of the Thames Side Inn is location. It has a nice little spot nestled between Southwark Cathedral and it�s more gaudy cousin up river The Anchor. Yes it is a bit shabby, yes it can take a while to get served and yes the food is decidedly hit and miss � however, it�s a nice little boozer and if you�re down that way it beats a lot of the other pubs nearby on Borough high street and London Bridge.
Perhaps it�s finest selling point is the patio running the length of the pub in which sweaty office types crowd on sunny days. There is a nice area around the side to the entrance too overshadowed by a full scale replica of the Golden Hinde, which is a very pleasant view when drinking there. They do also have a non smoking section at the back and a pool table tucked away in the oft-forgotten basement (accessible via a spiral staircase).
I like the old place � it is a standard pub which has done well for itself despite its numerous criticisms levelled at it, and being that close to the river can�t have hindered it. I pleased it hasn�t succumbed to the gastro phenomenon because then it really would take a long time at the bar. Good Old Thameside Inn. We salute you.
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The last time I ventured into this pub I saw quite possibly the funniest sight I have ever witnessed in a Public House.
20-30 American tourists making a line from the bar to well outside the front door to get served , I mean what�s that about??? Enough said really I won�t be back�.
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Ineffective barstaff who haven't the remotest idea how to serve people in order, (they did manage to get it approximately right at the end of the night when there were only two people waiting to be served...). Yesterday was potentially the hottest day of the year, and having run out of ice around 1830 ("the fridge - she broke"), did nothing to attempt to get any - and of course, you only find that out after 'queuing' for 20mins...(if it was your party, you'd send someone to a shop, right???). The place smells of stale beer, and when I arrived at 2000 there was no handwash in the dispenser, a state of affairs which remained unchanged throughout the evening. If it is so incredibly busy, why not simply open the downstairs bar with more staff (you cre*ins!)?
anonymous - 20 Jul 2006 22:30 |
Very very busy (as it would be) with office workers in their 20s and 30s early one Friday evening. Three or four real ales and the staff were efficient and good humoured. It's too busy for me but many people love it.
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I have to say that despite reading all the reviews, I had a really good time there. It was extremely busy because of the hot weather but even though the staff were rushed off their feet I was still served with a smile and in a very efficient and professional manner.
A great place to have a drink on a beatiful sunny day while sitting on a terrace overlooking the river.
I think if you go there not expecting too much you'll have a great time and probably be quite pleasantly suprised.
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rude staff, rubbish beer, avoid if at all possible
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I despise this pub. It's horrible inside, the beer is not well kept, and the service is absolutely chronic. The management are clearly resting on their laurels and doing nothing to create what could be a superb pub. Yes, it's always packed, but that's only because of a) the location, and b) the regular fools who are sucked in by that fact. Apparently it's a Mitchells and Butlers pub. If so, sort it out guys - I've seen the good work you've done with other pubs, so change the management and do the same with this one.
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This pub is anything but great. Decent enough range of ales. Average food. Crap service. Might be a clone of the Mudlark, just moved upriver a couple of hundred yards. The outside bit is best - you don't have to look at the faux-olde-worlde decor.
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The rudest bar staff in London, especially those who have to work in the downstairs bar when its open. You could put up with it because of the great location but with a top pub like the Anchor only two minutes walk away why bother.
anonymous - 20 Jan 2006 09:18 |
I believe that the person hanging from the wall in Clink Street was a former customer who only went in for 2 pints of lager, and ended up looking like that by the time he was served.
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not great, always over crowded and very hard to get a space outside. Lager is ALWAYS flat as well.
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This is a great pub, especially for all dayers at the weekend. Not tried it on weekday evenings though. Beer in London is always going to be between �2.80 and �3.00 a pint so can't understand most of the comments here about prices, and if you want good food, go to a restaurant! Pubs are for drinking! Bar staff have never bothered me - if you live in London you get used to crowds at the bar. Pool table always seems to be free which is a result, and if you get a good spot downstairs, it's a great venue for watching football. Never sat outside, it always seems to be full, but I can't see anything wrong with this place at all. Drink enough booze and all pubs are great anyway.
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I am pleased to see other punters have been sour on this place. Don't think this is a new occurence at the Thameside. The beer was lousy and the service non-existent 10 years ago too. Shamne really as the location is superb.
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One of the best locations in Central London in the summer - plenty of outdoor seating right on the river, meaning you're almost guaranteed to get a seat. However that is its' only selling point.
Hot weather = full pub. They brilliantly have 2 people serving that don't speak English, and work at the rate of snails - they're inefficient and have a "couldn't care less" attitude. On my last visit I asked the guy serving food what time they stopped serving, and the reply I received was "I have absolutely no idea". The last time a group of us visited they had run out of every draught beer except Carlsberg (which, technically, isn't a beer?).
The pub is filthy, the loos stink and badly need refurbishment, and the games room downstairs has had all the games removed - why else would you go downstairs? It's such a shame, because with the right management this would be a lovely drinking hole. Oh - and don't bother complaining. We tried that, and were told that the Manager had gone home (at 8pm).
anonymous - 17 Aug 2005 15:18 |
Fabulous location and awesome views. Sitting outside is a treat. BUT staff turnover and outright shortages of staff mean that the people serving you often seem poorly trained and stressed out. Standards plummet as soon as it gets a little bit busy. I have never eaten here so I cannot comment on this aspect. I visit here fairly often.
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Glad to see it isn't just me that has a problem with the staff who are either slow &/or rude. Great location, reasonable priced drinks. Haven't eaten there and judging by previouse messages not a good idea, though I did enoy it when they cooked steak sandwiches on a bbq outside.
It does live off it's location but with a few minor changes this could be one of the best.
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A group of five went to the Thameside on a Sunday afternoon for a few beverages, it was a lovely atmosphere sitting there on the tables outside, the prices were excellent for the drinks. The service we received from the staff was nothing short of disgusting. We ordered some dinner, one of the meals had two pieces of bread with some prawns inside, no sauce and no salad. When my friend asked for her money back the waiter (who didn't have a great command of the English language) shouted at her that she would need to come to the bar for her refund, to which she replied "no I'm the customer, you bring it to me". He huffed and walked off, returning and practically threw her change at her. The rest of the food was definitely only average, appeared to have been sitting around for quite some time. A real shame, we won't be returning due to the service and the food. Why in such a great location with such great potential can this not be fixed???
anonymous - 6 Jul 2005 14:29 |
Hmm well a very nice pub excellent location nice enviroment.
Could have been cleaner.
Really the only thing stopping this from being a great pub is the staff.
there were 3 people behind the bar, only 1 was serving the other 2 were collecting glasses for the entire 4 hours we were there.
The only person serving was VERY slow normally when I went to the bar there were 3-4 people waiting all ordering 2-4 drinks. It took over 20 minutes each time! When someone want to pay on a creditcard the guy stuck the card in the wrong way round and then turned back to the customer and told them their card wasnt valid.
after this he went to serve the next person brought half her drinks to her and then decided that he couldnt serve her there since she was in the glass collecting area. so started moving her drinks about a ft down the bar.
I'm going to give it 3 since it is a very nice pub its just a shame the staff ruin it.
anonymous - 21 Jun 2005 12:19 |
well, what a shame. upstairs seemed fairly good, but because we play pool, we were constricted to downstairs.
tables weren't clean, neither were the menus. nothing like reading a menu with crap all over it to get your appetite up.
food was a bit overpriced, but then again, it's central london.
no ales served downstairs? what? bit harsh.
also, staff weren't that accomodating. one staff member took our table number away before our food came (we had to get it back!) and he also insisted the tv in our area was switched on to the football, even though NO-ONE in our group wanted it on, and there was no-one else in the pub who could see the tv.
and the menu says 'comes with mayonaise and ketchup' on the platter we ordered, but none came. when we asked, a small tub of mayo was bought, but no ketchup.
unfortunately we had to retreat to a well known pub in southwark, and most likely will not return to the thamesside inn.
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Had some cracking nights here. Not too pricey given its location. Excellent place to drink after work. Think they do Happy Hour, but the outdoor seating in the summer gets filled up really quickly. Worth a visit. Staff were miserable last time went in, but, everyone has an off day
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Excellent location, family friendly, reasonable selection of standard pub grub (the bangers & mash were decent and the vegetables way over-cooked - as expected). A couple of decent real ales were on. Many other real ale pubs and tourist attractions in this area.
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This pub has recently changed their menu so it's slightly cheeper and is more diverse. The quality is much better as well.
a lot cheaper than Anchor at Bankside but hte staff couyld do with smiling now and again. gets a bit packed during the summer and is absolutely rammed on Friday in the summer so it's not worth going then.
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Well, I like this pub. The views are nice and the beer is cheap (in the winter anyway as there are no tourists so they need to get the punteres in!) and i've never had a problem with it. The staff aren't great but again i've never had a problem with it. I like the fact the upstairs is old-style pub whereas downstairs there are screens and pool tables etc. Food isn't great if you ask me.
Paul - 3 Nov 2004 12:23 |
I went to this pub last night and liked the look and feel of the place. However, my Kronenberg didn't taste right after the first sip so I took it back. I then had to wait for the manager to come over and then wait for him to taste the beer at which point he argued that there was nothing wrong with it and refused to change it (only drank 1cm from the top of the pint glass). I had to buy another pint but went with the Fosters which was fine. Barstaff were very rude when I went back for another round of drinks with not a please or thankyou in sight. Won't be going there again - plenty of much better bars around.
Jon - 23 Sep 2004 11:51 |
i used to work here in 1992 when jim stevens ran it.i hope its better than it was!
david - 12 Sep 2004 20:25 |
Well unlike everyone pretty much else on this page, I really like this pub. OK I don't frequent it that much any more, but when I do (e.g. yesterday) I tend to be fairly happy with it. The staff have failed to annoy me - in fact I found one girl quite cute. People should stop moaning about how expensive it is - �2.50 a pint of lager isn't any more expensive than most of the other pubs in the area? What do you expect to pay for a pub with a location like this? If you don't like the price move on somewhere else! BBQs were pretty good over the summer too.
Nick - 9 Sep 2004 11:25 |
Dreadful service, rudest miserable staff imaginable. Only saved by the great location and views. But being in the heart of tourist London why am I surprised at the totally crap service!
Richard - 7 May 2004 17:29 |
Bad points. Crap service.Rude staff.Full of drunken loud Americans.Shite beer......Good points. Nice views from the terrace.But then again Christ had good views of Jerusalem as he was Crucified.
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Everyone seems to be missing the point of this bar, which is the game of Big Buck Hunter downstairs. This is a deer hunting game, complete with your own pump action shotgun. Fabulous. Have got ripped to the tits more than once here, however slow service has driven us away before.
the grim reecer - 15 Mar 2004 08:23 |
oh come on....ok....i grant you: it is expensive, the food is shit, the atmosphere is very lacking, sometimes its packed when it should be empty and wwhen it should be empty its packed, the barstaff, although attractive are super unfriendly, the bar staff would be friendly if they could speak english.......
but with all this going against it- the old thameside...its lovely really, it just takes time- and im not taking the piss here...its not a classic but its not all that bad...i like it.
Fenn - 13 Mar 2004 23:56 |
good enough for a quiet drink by the river. function room in basement quite large & have attended a party there.. but try dancing on the uneven flagstone floor!
JP - 13 Nov 2003 15:30 |
Ok, �6 for 4 pints of Carlberg Export is great happy hour!
But staff are crap, rude and innefficient. No food pm!
JB - 9 Aug 2003 01:02 |
Picture the scene. A pub in a great location by the Thames on a hot sunny evening.
So far, so good.
One teeny-weeny problem. Despite the fact it would be blooming obvious to even the densest white-van driver that the pub would be heaving in such conditions, just 3 barstaff on duty.
Result: Very long queues.
Would love to tell you about the beer and confirm stories about the expensive prices, but after 5 minutes gave up and went elsewhere.
So message to the management: don't be a cheapskate cos it's a flase economy; get more staff in and make more dosh!
Darren in the City - 18 Jul 2003 14:02 |
INCIDENT REPORT
On 28/6/03 four drinkers were mugged and anally raped by a boozer that thought that because it overlooked a murky London river it could charge eight pounds thirty for four halves and a couple of bags of crisps. Ouch!
Rich - 29 Jun 2003 12:59 |
It's the first pub I've been to which charges more than �3 for a pint of lager
anonymous - 11 Apr 2003 12:05 |
Great service, fine riverside bit. Fine selection of food, but the extracold Guinness only (well...). Typical southbank prices, but still like it:)
Joanna - 19 Nov 2002 12:06 |
Nice pub, nice location, but still would recommend you walk down the river a little further to the Anchor, you won't be disappointed.
Adrian Yorke - 8 Oct 2002 00:10 |
Very crowded with office workers, nice outdoors bit by Thames
Mark - 18 Sep 2002 16:23 |
Just to let you know that at lunchtime around 1:00pm today i had my phone stolen from my jacket pocket while i was sitting there in the restaurant section of your pub. I think this is disgusting and camaras are a good investment!!! I was told that last week that other items had been stollen from here and obviously nothing had been done to stop this. YOU NEED TO SORT IT OUT!!!!
BLANK - 5 Jul 2002 16:06 |
nice upstairs, downstairs is like a youth club.
Clare - 7 Apr 2002 19:15 |
